Hidden Brain - Waking Up Your Spiritual Brain: Part 2

Last week, we talked with psychologist Lisa Miller about the science of spirituality. Today, we explore what those ideas can look like in everyday life. Miller explains why moments of connection, spiritual practices, and even periods of suffering can sometimes open the door to deeper meaning and growth. And on Your Questions Answered, behavioral scientist Dave Evans returns to respond to your comments on designing a meaningful life.

Duration: 1h 41m
Broadcast on: 06 Jul 2026
Audio Format: other

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This is Hidden Brain, I'm Shankar Vedantam. About a century ago, the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung was treating a young woman. He sat with his back to a window, listening to his patient. She told him about a dream she'd had. In it, she was given a piece of jewelry modeled after a beetle long considered sacred in Egyptian culture. The scarab beetle was associated in ancient Egypt with a divine force that moved the sun. Intricately carved scarab jewels were sometimes placed on the hearts of the dead to assist them in the afterlife. The young woman told the psychiatrist that in the dream she was given a golden scarab. As Jung listened to the story, he heard a tapping behind him. He turned to see a flying insect knocking against the window pan. It was a beetle. In a monograph on what he called synchronicity, Carl Jung wrote, "I opened the window and caught the creature in the air as it flew in." It was the nearest analog to a golden scarab that one finds in our latitudes, a scarabeared beetle, which contrary to its usual habits had evidently felt an urge to get into a dark room at this particular moment. Scientists have debated Jung's theory for decades. Many have argued that what happened in that room was nothing more than an interesting coincidence. But for Carl Jung, the beetle at the window was not merely evidence that in a complex world, unusual things sometimes happen by chance. Synchronicity was a tap on the shoulder, a sign, an invitation into deeper realms of meaning and understanding. Last week on the show, we discussed the research of Columbia University psychologist Lisa Miller. Over several decades of brain imaging and other research, she's found that when we encourage our mental capacity for spiritual and transcendent thinking, it can have measurable effects on our brains and quantifiable benefits for our health. If you missed our earlier episode, you can find it in this podcast feed. It's titled, "Waking Up Your Spiritual Brain, Part 1." This week on Hidden Brain, Lisa Miller takes us on a journey of synchronicity in her own life and explains what it means to cultivate a mind that is open to the transcendent. When it comes to my policy, farmers gives it to me straight, so there's no surprises. It's your coverage you should never be confused. You hear that? An insurance provider with a conscience. We're a choir, but yes, we had that too. Straight forward coverage you can literally understand. That's what you get when you have farmers bump, bump, bump, bump, bump. Learn more at Farmers.com, underwritten by Farmers Truck or Fire Insurance Exchanges or Affiliate. Products not available in every state. Support for Hidden Brain comes from Land Rover. Even the boldest journey starts small with a single decision to go somewhere new. Purpose-built and courage-driven, the Defender 110 combines on-road presence with off-road capability. It looks tough because it is with a raised hood and an exterior engineered for durability. Inside, capability meets comfort with seating for five and the option for seven plus refined finishes and thoughtful design. The Defender event is on now. Explore enhanced offers at Land RoverUSA.com. The holidays start early at Lowe's. Put some presents under the tree early this year with gifts under $25, like the Carhartt Knit Beanie. Then, take it outside with inflatables that turn your yard into a picture perfect holiday backdrop. Get the three and a half foot gingerbread Mickey inflatable for just $34.98. From gifts that make them smile, to outdoor decor that brings joy to the whole neighborhood. The holidays are on now at Lowe's. In-store and online, while supplies last, selection varies by location.

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